Central Asian parliamentarians visit NATO

NATO's cooperation with Central Asian republics and the NATO-led efforts to stabilise Afghanistan were high on the agenda during a visit paid by a group of members of parliament from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 30 and 31 May.

The visitors shared their views on their respective countries' foreign and defence policy priorities and highlighted areas where they would like to strengthen ongoing cooperation with NATO. They underscored that NATO's relations with its partners in Central Asia continue to mature and that there is scope for further consolidation. Public diplomacy activities provide an important contribution to this process.

The parliamentarians expressed their support for the different aspects of the stabilisation process in Afghanistan and welcomed NATO's reaffirmation of its long-term commitment to lasting security in the country.

Discussions also focused on a number of other themes of common interest, including the development of NATO-Russia relations and the Alliance's new partnerships policy and increasing cooperation with other security actors.

As part of the visit-programme, the group attended a round-table discussion on "Central Asia's New Strategic Dynamics", which was organised by the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

The visit was organised by the Public Diplomacy Division in coordination with the embassies of Allied countries that serve as contact points for NATO in the respective countries.